Golf game



March 29, 1932. ELY

GOLF GAME Filed Sept. 30. 1930 Patented Mar. 29, 1932 OSCAR L. ELY, OF DORCHESTEB, MASSACHUSETTS GOLF GAME Application filed September so, 1930. seriai no. 485,354.

' This invention relates to that class of games known game of golf.

It aims to devise a game of this character which will simulate the game of golf closely While avoidingmost of the walking which is necessary in playing golf on a regular course. It also aims to devise a novel field layout.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a-perspective plan view of a golf field embodying features of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View through one of the holes or greens; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through one of the driving stands.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the field there shown is of approximately rectangular outline and preferably is of a length comparable to the distance from the driving stand to a hole of'a regular course. It is preferable to select a field of such a character that the entire playing area can be seen from one end thereof. Arranged along one end of the-field are several driving stands, indicated at 2, the size and number of these stands depending upon local conditions and Varying somewhat with the ideas of individual proprietors- It is desirable to have the stands elevated both in order to afford a better opportunity for driving and also to give a better view of the field. The stands may be separated from each other by partitions 3, and provision may be made for covering'certain or all of the stands with an awning, roof, or the like, indicated at 4, in order to shelter the players in wet weather.

Arranged at various distances from the driving stands 2 are holes 5 with suitable greens surrounding them. Preferably those holes nearer to the stands are located adjacent to opposite sides of the field, while those farther away are set inwardly somewhat, and

the farthest hole, here designated as two 7 hundred ten yards from the stands, is located approximately midway of the field. and directly in front of the center of the series of driving stands. Some of these holes should be located within short driving distance from the stands, others at medium distance, and the farthest hole at an even greater distance. These holes may be made like those used in any golf course, or they may be simply indi- 6o cated by flags, no cup actually being used. In addition to the holes just mentioned it is preferable to arrange a series of other holes 6 closely adjacent to the driving stands, say within fifteen yards from them. The flags marking the other holes bear numerals which indicate their distances from the driving stands. Preferably, also, the field is crosslined at intervals of, say, ten yards, these cross-lines being indicated at 7, and figures are associated with the cross-line to indicate approximately their distances from the driving stands. In this particular case all of the measurements have been taken from the center of the series of stands.

Hazards of the kinds ordinarily used in golf courses may be associated with some or all of-the holes. In the arrangement shown sand traps are indicated at 9, a long water hole is'shown at 10, and along bunker extending across the greater part of the width of the field in .front of the hole 6 is indicated at 12. Immediately in front of the stands 2 is a long sand-trap 13 lying at a lower level than the greens surrounding the holes 6, the sand trap bearing substantially the same relation to these holes 6 that the sand traps 9 do to their respective holes.

Located behind the series of driving stands 2 is a series of putting greens 14: each having a cup or hole in the center thereof, and

the number of these greens depending upon the size of the field and the number of the driving stands. I

In using this field the player will select, 5

or be given, one of the driving stands, he Will tee up a ball, and drive down the fairway for the farthest hole indicated as the two hundred ten yard hole. \Vhen his ball stops rolling he will observe the distance between his ball and the two hundred ten yard hole.

' drove before.

If it is assumed that his ball has sto' ped at v the point a, Fig. 1, it will be obvious rom an inspection of the cross-lines and the markers associated with them and the distance indicated by the flag at the hole, that his ball is a proximately seventy yards from the hole. He thereupon observes the flags to see which of the remaining holes is nearest to that distance. He naturally selects the seventy-five yard hole, lays down another ball and drives for that hole. This drive is made from the same drivingstand from. which he Let us assume that his ball rolls on to the green at the seventy-five yard hole and stops at the point b. Marked on this and each of the other greens are a series .of concentric rings, the first one of which may be, say, ten feet from the flag and each of the others at five foot intervals. The player sees at once that his ball is approximately twenty feet from the cup. He then steps back on to one of the putting greens 14, places his ball at the same distance and at substantially the same angle from the cup, and holes out. If we assume that two putts are required, his score for the first hole is 4.

He then goes back to the driving stand where he was before and drives again for the two hundred ten yard hole. If he makes a. bad drive and his ball goes into the water hole he loses one stroke, tees up another ball and drives again. His ball may stop, at the point a, Fig. 1. This is approximately ninetyfive yards from the hole. He therefore puts down another ball and drives for the one hundred yard hole at the left-hand side of the field. If his ball rolls up on to the green within utting distance he steps back on to one of t e putting greens 14 and holes out as he did before. Let us assume, however, that it rolls into the sand trap 9 associated with the one hundred yard hole. The player then steps down from the driving stand into the long sand trap 13, drops a ball at approximately the same distance from one of the holes 6 as his former ball was from the flag of the one hundred yard hole and plays for one of the holes 6. If his ball rolls up on to the green he notes the distance from the cup which he can judge very accurately from the concentric circles as above described. He-

' then steps back on to one of the putting in this manner.

greens 14 and holes out.

Of course the player always starts oif after holing out by driving for the two hundred. ten yard hole, or one of the other more distant holes, and the next hole for which he will play depends upon the position at which the driven ball stops rollmg. This position can be determined approximately by reference to the measured zones into which the field is divided. If on the drive he gets a poor shot which rolls into desired number of holes may be played the bunker 12 he oes down into the sand trap, places his bal on the sloping surface between one of the greens 6 and the sand tra which th an plays the ba 1 from t at position towar the proper hole. 7

It will be observed, therefore, that this arleaves the driving stand during the playing s corres onds to a bunker;i

of the game simply to go into the sand trap or to come back to one of the putting greens.

It is contemplated that the field may be illuminated to permit night playing, and flood lights for this purpose are indicated at 15, these lights being inclined so as todirect their rays at an angle away from the driving stand.

tated by grading the greens on a slight angle somewhat as indicated in Fig. 2.

The proprietor of the field may revenue on a certain number of balls which he delivers to a player when entering the field, the proprietor at the same time assigning the player to a certain stand. He plays until his supply of balls is exhausted and then stops or obtains a new supply from the proprietor, as he wishes. In order to facilitate the control of the players it is referable to enclose at least one end of the eld adjacent to the stands, and a fence for this purpose is shown at 16, this fence also being arranged to enclose a parking space 17 The entrance to the field is indicated at 18, and an ofiice for the proprietor or caretaker is shown at 19.

While I have herein shown and described a typical layout of a golf field in accordance I A view of the more distant holes andthe. greens associated with them is facilibase his with this invention, it will be understood I that the number and arrangement of the holes and layout of the field will necessarily or some similar aid to locate the ball. The

contour and size of some fields may be such that a greater number of distant holes can be used so that the player can drive for them in rotation instead of making his initial drive always for the same hole. A great variety of different arrangements may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is: i

1. A golf field having a driving stand arranged at one end thereof, a putting een adjacent to said stand, a plurality of oles visible from said driving stand, said holes being located at varying distances from said stand and within driving distance therefrom, and means associated with said holes and dividing said field into a plurality of measured zones for enabling the player to visibly ascertain from the stand approximately the distance between the position of a ball which he has driven toward one of said holes and the hole.

2. A golf field having a driving stand arranged at one end thereof, 2. putting green adjacent to said stand, a plurality of holes located at difierent distances from said stand and all visible from the stand, some of said holes being located within driving distance from the stand, and measuring indications associated with said holes and dividing said field into a plurality of measured zones for enabling the player to visibly ascertain from the driving stand approximately the distance between a ball which he drives on to the field and the hole for which he was driving, whereby the player may by computation selective- 1y determine and substitute a nearer hole for a successive stroke.

3. A golf field having a plurality of driving stands arranged at one end thereof, one or more puttin greens adj acenttosaidstands, a fairway in ront of said stands, a hole at the far end of said fairway, additional holes along the margins of the fairway at different distances from the stands, all of said holes being visible from the stands, and measuring indications associated .with said holes and dividing said field into a plurality of measured zones for enabling the player to visibly ascertain from his driving stand the approximate position of any ball which he drives onto the field withrelation to the hole for which he was driving, whereby he may selectively determine and substitute a nearer hole or a putting green for a successive stroke.

4. A golf field having a plurality of driving stands arranged at one end thereof, one

or more putting greens adjacent to said stands, a fairway in front of said stands, a hole at the far end of said fairway, additional holes along the marginszof the fairway at different distances from the stands, all of said holes being visible from the stands, hazards associated with certain of said holes, and a hole closely adjacent to said stand with a hazard of the same general type as one of the previously mentioned hazards located in a relation to the last mentioned hole similar to the relation which one of said previously mentioned hazards bears to the hole associated with it.

5. A golf field having a plurality of drivingstands arranged at one end thereof, one or more putting greens adjacent to said stands, a plurality of holes located at widely different distances from said'stands and all visible from the stands, hazards associated with certain of said holes, one of said holesbeing located adjacent to said stand, and a hazard of the same general type as one of said previously mentioned hazards located in approximately the same relation tothe last mentioned hole as one of said previously mentioned hazards bears to thehole associated therewith.

6. A golf field having aseries .of driving stands arranged at one end thereof, a series of putting greens located adjacent to said stands, a fairway in front of said stands, holes located at various distances along the fairway and all visible from said stands, hazards associated with certain of said holes, a long hazard in front of said stands of the same general type as one'o'f the hazards above mentioned, and a hole adjacent to said stands and in playing position with reference to the hazard.

7. A golf field having a'series of driving stands arranged at one end thereof, a plurality of putting greens located adjacent to but behind 'said stands, a fairway in front of said stands, holes arranged at various distances along said fairway and all visible from said stands, some of said holes being within short and medium driving distance from the stand and at least one being located at a greater distance, and indicating means asso ciated with said holes and dividing said field into a plurality of measured zones for enabling the player to judge with a fair degree of accuracy the distance between a ball which he has played and the hole for which he was driving.

8. A golf field having a driving stand arranged at one end thereof, a putting green adjacent said stand, a plurality of holes visible from said driving stand and located at different driving distances therefrom, and measuring means associated with said holes to indicate measured distances from the holes, for enabling the player to visibly ascertain from the stand substantially the distance be tween the position of a driven ball and the hole toward which it was driven.

9. A golf field having a driving stand arranged at one end thereof, a putting green adjacent said stand, aplurality of holes visible from said driving stand and located at different driving distances therefrom, and measuring means associated with said holes to indicate measured distances from the holes, for enabling the player to visibly ascertain from the stand substantially the distance between the position of a driven ball and the hole toward which it was driven, and similar measuring means associated with'said putting green to enable the player to substitute, on subsequent strokes, the putting green for said hole. v

10. A golf field having a driving stand arranged at one end thereof, a puttin green adjacent said stand a plurality of ho es visible from said driving stand located at different driving distances therefrom, a a plurality of concentric circles about each of said holes,-for enabling the player to visibly ascertain from the stand substantially the distance between the osition of a driven ball and the hole towar which it was driven, and a plurality of similar concentric circles, associated with said putting green to enable the player to substitute, on subsequent strokes, the putting green for said hole.

11. A golf field having a driving stand arranged at one end thereof, a hole visible from said stand and within driving distance therefrom, the ground adjacent said hole being sloped toward said stand, thereby to increase the visibility of the hole, a fairway in front of said stand, and additional holes along the margins of the fairway at difierent distances from the stand, all of said holes being visible from the stand, a hazard associated with said first mentioned hole and a hole closely adjacent the said stand with a similar hazard located in the same playing relationship to it.

OSCAR L. ELY. 

